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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25835695">right from the start</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/booksthough/pseuds/booksthough'>booksthough</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anxiety, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Kid Fic, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ricky Bowen Needs A Hug (HSM: The Series), Slow Build, Slow Burn, Speech Disorders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:53:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>975</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25835695</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/booksthough/pseuds/booksthough</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>the first time nini and ricky met, back when they were still nina and richard, and how they clicked right from the start.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ricky Bowen &amp; Nini Salazar-Roberts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>right from the start</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Richard Bowen was not excited about kindergarten whatsoever. He had whined the whole morning, only to be given a pat on the back by his dad and a gentle reminder to be good. He had whimpered to his mother during the car ride to school, and clung onto her leg as he walked him to his classroom. As they stood there, waiting for his new teacher to unlock the doors and welcome the kids inside, Richard peered around and got a look at the other kids around them. Some were running around and shouting, but some were clinging onto their parents as well. When the doors opened and a woman called the kids over, Richard watched the clingy kids receiving hugs and kisses and soft words before they made their way over to the door. Richard looked up at his mother, hoping to receive the same treatment. </p><p>	“Get off me, Richard. You have to go to your teacher,” his mother said instead, prying Richard’s hands off of her pants and giving him a push in the direction of his classroom. Richard turned his head back, about to ask for a hug goodbye, but saw his mother already walking away, her phone pressed to her ear. Richard stood still, unsure what to do without his mother there to hold his hand. </p><p>	“We have to go inside.” Richard startled at the voice, and turned his head back around only to see a girl his age speaking to him. She had a bright pink bow in her hair that flopped around as she moved her head. “C’mon,” the girl pressed. “My mommies said we need to go with our teacher.” The girl turned and headed inside then, and Richard hurried to follow her. </p><p>	He continued to follow this girl around throughout the start of class. He sat on the floor next to her while the teacher introduced herself and read them a story, and stood by her side when the teacher began to call out names for the seating arrangement. </p><p>	“I’m Nina,” she said as they stood. “I hope we get to have art class soon. Or music class. What’s your name?”</p><p>	“I’m W-Wich-a’d,” he said, doing his best to speak clearly. He struggled with speech, and despite several years of speech therapy, most people still had difficulty understanding him. </p><p>	“Richard?” Nina said. He nodded, and Nina made a slight face, which made him giggle. Richard turned his head away when the teacher called his name and patted a seat at one of the cluster groups. Right after, Nina’s name was called as well, and the teacher told her to sit in the seat right beside Richard.</p><p>	Once everyone was seated, the teacher got out supplies for an art activity. The kids were given smocks and finger paints and were encouraged to decorate a paper handprint. Nina got right to work, carefully picking out colors and making little dots on her paper. Richard was not quite as precise, gathering globs of paint at once and getting it just about everywhere. </p><p>	“Richard,” their teacher gasped, upon seeing the mess he was making. “The paint is for the picture frame, not your whole desk.” </p><p>	Richard looked up, eyes wide. “Sa-w’ie,” he said. “I waa-wa’ed to mi’ my pant da ca’wers of da-d-da ‘inbow..” The teacher furrowed her brow, and asked him to repeat himself. He did, and then did again, but she still couldn’t grasp what he was saying.</p><p>	“He said he wanted to mix his paints so they’d be all the colors of the rainbow,” Nina said clearly. The teacher nodded then, and went to work cleaning up Ricky’s hands and table. She then gave him a little plate so he could mix the colors without getting it all over the table.</p><p>	Throughout the rest of the day, Nina continued to translate for Richard. When he asked the teacher, “We go-gon’ go-go at the da’da’bas at s’ack time?” Nina was quick to say, “He wants to know if we get to have the teddy grahams at snack time.” When Richard tried to ask another classmate for a turn with the chalk at recess by saying, “C’a I ‘af da a-a-ha’k?” Nini gently said, “He wants to have some chalk, please.” When Richard got frustrated during music time because the teacher didn’t know what “Am-been,” meant, Nina came over from across the room and said, “He’s asking for the tambourine.” </p><p>	Every time Nina helped him, Richard would smile and say, “D’anks, Nini.” Nina would giggle and say, “It’s Nina, silly.”</p><p>	“Na-ya,” he tried saying. “Ne-ni-nuh-nuh-“ After a while, Nina just shook her head and said, “I think Nini is fine. I like it.”</p><p>	At the end of the day, both kids exited the classroom hand in hand with huge smiles on their faces. </p><p>	“Mommies!” Nini shouted. “Look- this is Richard. He’s my new friend.” Her moms cooed over the kids, insisting on taking pictures and asking both Nini and Richard all about their first day. Richard smiled and talked, even though the adults couldn’t really understand him, but all the while he was looking around for his mom. She was supposed to pick him up. Did she forget?	After about ten minutes of chatting with Nini’s moms, Richard felt a hand grab his arm. “C’mon, Richard, time to go.”</p><p>	Richard looked up at his mom with bright eyes. “Mama- di’ ’s my new f’end. ‘er name is Nini. We si’ a’ da back by da ca’da.” </p><p>	Richard’s mother shook her head with a frown. “Speak clearly, Richard, I have no idea what you’re saying.” Richard went to speak again but his mother just pulled on his arm. “Let’s go.”</p><p>	He left without a chance to say goodbye to Nini, but he thought about her the rest of the night. He was excited to go back to kindergarten the next day.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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